FPGA Engineer Intern (Summer 2027 - Chicago)

Optiver; Chicago, Northern (IL, KY); Hybrid; USD 30,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flights covered

Living accommodations

Commuting stipend

Office perks

Job summary

Optiver is seeking an FPGA Engineer Intern for Summer 2027 in Chicago. You’ll work with mentors to build real‑world FPGA solutions powering a global trading firm, tackling nanosecond‑scale latency and highly parallel algorithms.

Interns collaborate with traders, software developers, and infrastructure engineers, with opportunities to work in our Austin office as well. Compensation is competitive and includes various benefits.

Qualifications

• Pursuing a bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD in Computer Engineering or Electrical Engineering with graduation between Dec 2027 and Jun 2028.
• Hands-on experience in digital design with FPGAs or ASICs.
• Experience writing hardware in VHDL, Verilog, or SystemVerilog.
• Strong engineering instincts and collaborative mindset.

Responsibilities

• Accelerate high‑speed FPGA and networking components with optimized designs.
• Research low‑latency techniques and integration opportunities for trading systems.
• Collaborate in a multidisciplinary team of traders, software engineers, and infrastructure staff.
• Leverage in‑house hardware and server platforms to interface with cutting‑edge tech.

Skills

Digital FPGA design

HDL languages (VHDL Verilog SV)

Collaborative teamwork

Clean code & architecture

Education

CE/EE student (Bachelor/Master/PhD)

Tools

VHDL

Verilog

SystemVerilog

Job description

FPGA Engineer Intern (Summer 2027 - Chicago)

As an FPGA Engineer Intern, you’ll work side‑by‑side with your mentor and teammates to build real‑world applications that power a global trading firm. Your projects will be scoped based on your team’s real needs — not hypothetical tasks — and your mentor will be fully invested in helping you build high‑quality solutions designed to last. You’ll contribute to meaningful projects focusing on nanosecond response times, highly parallelized algorithms, and customized low‑level networking.

Optiver is building with cutting edge AI technology in the most competitive, data rich landscapes in the world: financial markets. That means no two days are the same, and every day brings new, exciting technical challenges to solve.

This opportunity is also available in our Austin office —

Our internship is designed for fast thinkers with a critical mindset and a drive to solve tough problems. You’ll experience what it’s like to be a full‑time engineer at a leading trading firm – working on projects that blend cutting‑edge FPGA technology with real‑world trading strategies, directly contributing to the efficiency and performance of our trading systems. Mentored by Optiver engineers, our program gives you the opportunity to:

• Accelerate network infrastructure and trading system components with high‑speed hardware designs.
• Research new low‑latency techniques and platforms and identify opportunities for integration with our trading system.
• Collaborate in a multidisciplinary team of traders, software developers, and infrastructure engineers.
• Leverage the best hardware available or build in‑house versions to ensure our FPGAs can interface with cutting‑edge server hardware.

What you’ll get:

You’ll join a culture of collaboration and excellence, surrounded by curious thinkers and creative problem‑solvers. Motivated by a passion for continuous improvement, you’ll thrive in a supportive, high‑performing environment alongside talented colleagues, collectively tackling some of the toughest challenges in the financial markets.

In addition, you’ll receive:

• The opportunity to work alongside best‑in‑class professionals from over 40 different countries
• A highly‑competitive internship compensation package
• Optiver‑covered flights, living accommodations, and commuting stipends
• Extensive office perks, including breakfast, lunch and snacks, regular social events, clubs, sporting leagues and more

Who you are:

• A student pursuing a bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or another related field
• On track to graduate between December 2027 to June 2028, with junior standing or higher
• A student with strong engineering instincts and hands‑on experience in digital design with FPGAs or ASICs
• Experienced in writing hardware in VHDL, Verilog, or System Verilog
• Passionate for writing clean code, well‑architected systems, and continuous improvement
• A collaborative teammate comfortable working with developers, traders and business teams

Who we are:

Optiver is a leading technology‑ and research‑driven trading firm. Our teams of scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and traders work side by side to develop, test, and scale ideas that shape how we understand and trade global markets. Powered by a global platform built for rapid experimentation and iteration, we combine the scientific rigor of a research institution with the pace of a technology company.

Our differences are our edge. Optiver does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, or other legally protected characteristics. Optiver is supportive of US immigration sponsorship for this role.

Optiver has a global application re‑apply policy for our intern and graduate roles. If you have completed any portion of an online assessment or interviewed for an FPGA Engineer graduate or internship role at any Optiver location in the past 8 months, please note that you are not yet eligible to reapply. We welcome you to re‑apply to after the 8‑month cool off period.

Below is the expected compensation for this position. This is a good‑faith estimate of the base pay scale and sign‑on bonus for this position and offers will ultimately be determined based on experience, education, skill set, and performance in the interview process. This position will also be eligible for the benefits listed above.